Benedict Arnold V, Drug Dealer &
Hero?
Much to my chagrin, the Theory of
Relativity about Benedict Arnold needs to be addressed, as he relates to my
family. Benedict Arnold had a
well-earned military reputation in the British Army. At the occasion of the American
Revolution, Arnold's sentiments switched over to that of the rebelling American
Colonists. Despite the stellar service
that he contributed to the efforts for American independence, he chose to make
one bad decision, betraying the plans of the Americans regarding West Point. That one bad decision painted his
reputation for ever as a traitor.
However,
it must be said that he was one of the most noble, fine and effective officers
who served the British military, and subsequently the military of the American
Revolutionist. His reputation was
of a brave man of superior integrity.
At the time he made his famous traitorous
decision, I am confident he believed he was doing the right things for what he
thought was a just cause, that of the British becoming victorious in that
battle of revolution. Unfortunately
for him, it was that one bad decision that colored his reputation for all of
history!
Benedict Arnold is the great
grandnephew of Freelove Arnold, the wife of Edward Pelham. Edward is the son of Herbert Pelham
and his second wife, Elizabeth Bosvile.
Herbert Pelham, who was the first Treasurer of Harvard College, is my
24th cousin, nine times removed. Herbert
also is the 11th cousin, once removed, of Edward Southworth, the first husband
of my seventh great grandmother, Alice Carpenter, on my Father's side of the
family, which descends from her second marriage to Plymouth Colony Governor
William Bradford. Southworth
also is my 25th cousin, eight times removed.
Alice is my ninth great grand aunt as well as a grandparent. Herbert is the second great
grandnephew of King Henry VIII (through the King's marriage to Anne Boleyn). Herbert is the third great grandson
of Thomas Boleyn, the father-in-law of King Henry VIII. Herbert is the 11th cousin, 14 times
removed of my son-in-law, Steven O. Westmoreland.
"Benedict Arnold was a general
in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He is best known for plotting to
surrender the American fort at West Point, New York to the British during the
American Revolution. Arnold had
distinguished himself as a hero of the revolution early in the war through acts
of cunning and bravery at Fort Ticonderoga in 1775 and at the Battle of
Saratoga in 1777. Arnold
strongly opposed the decision by the Continental Congress to form an alliance
with France, having experienced a bitter defeat at the hands of the French and
their Indian allies during the French and Indian War (1754-1763).
"Disaffected due to grievances
with the Continental Congress and the military, suffering from mounting
personal debt, and facing corruption charges filed by the Pennsylvania civil
authorities, Arnold also faced pressure at home from his young second wife, a
British Loyalist. In1780, he
formulated his scheme. If successful,
this would have given British forces control of the Hudson River valley and
split the colonies in half. The plot was thwarted, but Arnold managed to flee
to England, where he was rewarded with a commission as a Brigadier General in
the British Army, along with a reduced award of £6,000sterling. In the United States, Arnold's name
is synonymous with treason.
"Benedict Arnold V was born the
second of six children to Benedict Arnold III and Hannah Waterman King in
Norwich, Connecticut. He was
named after his great, great grandfather, an early colonial governor of Rhode
Island. His parents had another
son, Benedict Arnold IV, who died in infancy before Benedict Arnold V was born.
Only Benedict and his sister Hannah survived to adulthood, the other three
siblings succumbing to yellow fever while children.
"The Arnold family was
financially well-to-do until Arnold's father made several bad business deals
that plunged the family into debt. When
this happened, the father turned to alcohol for solace. At age 14, Benedict was
forced to withdraw from school because the family no longer could afford the
cost.
"His father's alcohol abuse and
ill health prevented him from training his son in the family mercantile
business, but his mother's family connections secured an apprenticeship for him
with two of her cousins, the brothers Daniel and Joshua Lathrop. The two ran a
successful apothecary and general merchandise trade in Norwich.
"At 15, Arnold ran away to
enlist in the Connecticut militia, marching to Albany and Lake George to oppose
the French invasion from Canada during the French and Indian War. (See Battle
of Fort William Henry). It is
not clear if Arnold fought in the battle. Some sources claim he deserted and
made his way home alone through the wilderness. Another source states his mother used
her influence to obtain his discharge because of his youth.
"In any case, the British
suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the French under the command of
Louis Joseph Marquis de Montcalm. After
the British surrender, the native allies of the French (called Indians) were outraged by the easy terms offered to
the British and Colonial forces. They
had been promised scalps, arms and booty, and none were forthcoming. They fell
upon the prisoners as they were being escorted away and massacred as many as
180 of them. The French regulars
were powerless to stop them. This event may have created an abiding hatred for
the French in a young and impressionable Arnold that influenced his actions
later in life.
"Benedict's mother, to whom he
was very close, died in 1759. The
youth took on the responsibility of supporting his ailing father and younger
sister. His father's alcoholism
worsened after the death of his wife and he was arrested on several occasions
for public drunkenness and was refused communion by his church. With his
father's death in1761, the 21-year-old Arnold resolved to restore his family
name to the elevated status it had once enjoyed.
"In 1762, with the help of the
Lathrops, Arnold established himself in business as a pharmacist and bookseller
in New Haven, Connecticut.
"Arnold was ambitious and
aggressive, quickly expanding his business.
In 1763, he repurchased the family homestead that his father had sold
when deeply in debt. One year
later, he re-sold it for a substantial profit. In 1764, he formed a partnership with
Adam Babcock, another young New Haven merchant. Using the profits from the sale
of his homestead, they bought three trading ships and, by 1765, had established
a lucrative West Indies trade. During this time, he brought his sister Hannah
to New Haven and established her in his apothecary to manage the business in
his absence. He traveled extensively during his business, throughout New
England and from Quebec to the West Indies, often in command of one of his own
ships.
"The Stamp Act of 1765 severely
curtailed mercantile trade in the colonies.
Arnold initially took no part in any public demonstrations, but like
many merchants, by 1766, conducted trade as if the Stamp Act did not exist, in
effect becoming a smuggler in defiance of the act.
"On the night of January 31,
1767, Arnold took part in a demonstration denouncing the acts of the British
Parliament and their oppressive colonial policy. Local Crown officials were burnt in
effigy. He and members of his
crew roughed up a man suspected of being a smuggling informant. Arnold was arrested and fined 50
shillings for disturbing the peace.
"The oppressive taxes levied by
parliament forced many New England merchants out of business. Arnold himself
came near to personal ruin, falling £15,000 sterling in debt.
"Arnold fought a duel in
Honduras with a British sea captain, who called Arnold a 'Darned Yankee,
destitute of good manners or those of a gentleman.' Arnold was shocked by the rudeness
and challenged him to a duel. The captain was wounded and forced to apologize.
"Arnold was in the West Indies
when the Boston Massacre occurred on March 15, 1770, but later wrote he was
'very much shocked' and wondered 'good God; are the Americans all asleep and
tamely giving up their liberties, or are they all turned philosophers, that
they don't take immediate vengeance on such miscreants.' This statement shows his original
sentiment and his opposition to the control the Mother Country was exerting on
its American Colony.
"On February 22, 1767, he
married Margaret, daughter of Samuel Mansfield. They had three sons, Benedict,
Richard and Henry. She died on
June 19, 1775.
"In July 1780, Arnold sought
and obtained command of the fort at West Point. He already had begun correspondence
with Gen. Sir Henry Clinton in New York City through Maj. AndrŽ (the same man
who had previously wooed his young bride). Arnold offered to hand the fort over
to the British for £20,000 sterling and a Brigadier General's commission. His plans were thwarted when AndrŽ
was captured with documents that disclosed the plot and incriminated Arnold. Maj. AndrŽ later was convicted of
being a spy and hanged.
"Arnold learned of AndrŽ's
capture and fled to the British. They made him a Brigadier General, but only
paid him some £ 6,000 sterling, because his plot had failed. The British never really trusted him,
although he saw some action in the American Theater. In December 1780, under orders from
Clinton, Arnold led a force of 1,600 troops into Virginia and captured
Richmond, cutting off the major artery of materiel to the southern patriot
effort. He burned Richmond on
January 5, 1781.
"In the Southern Theater, Lord
Cornwallis marched north to Yorktown, which he reached in May 1781. Arnold, meanwhile, had been sent
north to capture the town of New London, Connecticut, in hopes it would divert
Washington away from Cornwallis. While
in Connecticut, Arnold's force captured Fort Griswold on September 8, 1781. In December, Arnold was recalled to
England with various other officers, as the Crown de-emphasized the American
Theater over more probable wins in others.
"While in London, he met with
various cabinet officers and King George III, trying to convince them to continue
fighting, despite the defeat of Cornwallis at Yorktown. He was, as at Quebec,
too late. The Crown already was sending peace feelers. Distraught, Arnold moved to Canada
(Saint John, New Brunswick) with Peggy to reestablish his earlier maritime
successes. He loaned out great amounts of money to various loyalist families
that had relocated from the American Colonies, but when he ran into financial
hardship, no one would pay him back. He
was forced to move back to London with Peggy and their four sons in 1792.
"Arnold spent his time in
London attempting to make a go at the West Indies trade. With the coming of the
French Revolution, he tried to obtain a command, but, despite the backing of
Clinton and Cornwallis, Arnold lacked the necessary social connections. He died on June 14, 1801, poor and
with almost no fanfare. He was
buried in a crypt of St. Mary's Church, Battersea, which at that time was located in Surrey. According to some reports, while on
his deathbed, he asked God for forgiveness in betraying the Patriot cause, and
requested to be buried in the uniform of an American Continental soldier.
"Arnold attempted to justify
his actions in an open letter entitled, 'To the Inhabitants of America.' In a letter to his former friend
Washington, he stated, 'love to my country actuates my present conduct. However it
may appear inconsistent to the world, who very seldom judge right of any man's
actions.'
"Benedict Arnold is a
paradoxical figure in American history.
While there can be no doubt as to his eventual patriotism to British
Empire, neither can there be any doubt as to his crucial role in the Battle of
Saratoga, and thus the Revolution. It
was Saratoga which persuaded the French, who had been skeptical of the
colonists' chances, to intervention the war on the American side. This alliance
tipped the balance and ensured the ultimate American victory.
"On the battlefield at
Saratoga, a lone monument stands in memorial to this man, but there is no
mention of his name on the engraving. The inscription reads: 'In memory of the
most brilliant soldier of the Continental army, who was desperately wounded on
this spot, winning for his countrymen the decisive battle of the American
Revolution, and for himself the rank of Major General.'
"Another memorial to Arnold
resides at the United States Military Academy. It bears only a rank, 'major
general,' and a date, 'born1740.' The name has been left out. That the plaque
exists at all is tribute to the undeniable contribution he made to American
independence, a contribution fatally tarnished by an infamous act of betrayal.
"''Benedict Arnold' became a
U.S. English expression used to describe traitors, and it remains widely
recognized as such, even in 21st century America. From a British perspective,
he is not considered a 'traitor', though it is generally understood that
British never fully trusted him."
Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_Arnold
Edited and linked by
805 Derting Road East
Aurora, TX
76078-3712
817-504-6508
www.dasharpe.com